Youko Kurama: Rebirth of a Legend
by Chibi Wingzero
Summary: The perfect student and son. You'd expect him to be cramming for those tests and not fighting hordes of demons or saving the world from mass destruction. This is the life of Shuichi Minamino or Youko Kurama. Shounen ai. YuKu, HiBo, KuYuk
1. Fox Days of Summer

Chapter 1: Fox Days of Summer  
  
Disclaimer: Wingzero does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. However she does own the fox twins.  
  
Couples: Yusuke/Kurama, Hiei/Botan, Kuwabara/Yukina  
  
Japanese Translations:  
  
baka = idiot  
  
kitsune = fox  
  
koorime = ice demon  
  
makai = demon world  
  
ningen = human  
  
ne? = Isn't it?  
  
Omae o koruso. = I will kill you.  
  
reikai = spirit world  
  
youkai = demon  
  
One summer day, the spirit detectives were waiting for a mission to go on as one of them didn't have school. The other two had summer school, but they didn't want to attend so they did anything possible to get out of it. They were even thrilled to be receiving a life threatening mission with no chance of survival; yet, they manage to come through with minor injuries, for most of the team.  
  
I sighed as I glanced outside the window. Being summer, I had no homework whatsoever, but that didn't stop me from pursuing my academics. Mother said that I was being ambitious and was very proud of my accomplishments. In fact, she was going to buy me a car once I received my license. I thought we couldn't afford another one, but she had been saving ever since I attended school and received good grades.  
  
My life as Shuichi Minamino wasn't exactly the best one. I was known as being the perfect student and the perfect son. My personality was more on the reserved side with me being slow to anger. When I do, you'd better watch out, because I can become very dangerous. Okay, so I wasn't exactly born human. That in itself was another story.  
  
In my first life, I was Youko Kurama, a renowned thief. I have stolen valuable property from highly secured mansions, houses, and other buildings. My ruthlessness was what made me famous throughout the makai, that and my less than nice plants. I can control plants from this world, which were deadly to normal humans. Then one day, my burglary was less than perfect and I was nearly killed, but I managed to escape into the human world. I then fused with the unborn child of Shiori. I used this time to recover from my injuries, but I found myself stuck inside this human body. From my human mother, I learned about compassion, love, and mercy, which I had nothing to do with while I was a youkai.  
  
"Shuichi," a soft voice called from behind my bedroom door.  
  
I turned around in my chair and answered that voice, "Yes, mother?"  
  
"Could you please pick up a few items from the grocery store for me?" Shiori asked politely. "I'm busy cooking dinner and I need them to finish, but I don't want to burn the food."  
  
"Sure thing," I assured her. It wasn't like I had anything better to do. Besides I liked helping her, even if I was busy with school work, not that I was. Most of the time, I was ahead of the class by a whole lot. My teachers had petitioned for me to skip a grade because they couldn't force the class to speed up due to my advanced learning. I stood up from the chair and walked over towards the door before opening it. Mother held out a small list for me. Her note was written neatly, something close to my own writing.  
  
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" I asked, wanting anything to preoccupy my time and relieve me from this boredom.  
  
Shiori brushed a stray lock of her brown hair away from her face. "I think that won't be necessary." She gave me one of those smiles. "Thank you." She spun on her heels before walking downstairs and towards the kitchen. Even though she in the other room, I could hear her singing the song she used to when I was little. Those were some times.  
  
I strolled downstairs, being careful not to make too much noise, though I hardly make any in the first place. For a few seconds, I watched Shiori as she fixed dinner. It was times like these, I loved my mother. Then I headed out towards the grocery store when suddenly I saw a black blur race past me on top of the buildings. I dared not race on the ground as it would make humans suspicious of me.  
  
"What brings you here, Hiei?" I instantly knew it was him because of two things. First of all, he was the only fast youkai I knew who constantly wore black. Second, I can smell his scent.  
  
The black blur jumped in front of me. "Fox, where are you going? Do you have a mission?"  
  
"You must be that bored to be asking that," I laughed lightly.  
  
Hiei huffed indignantly. "I'm not bored. I needed the training and that Genkai wouldn't let me train near her house."  
  
"Oh so you need the exercise," I teased him again. "With you lying around, you must be gaining the extra pounds of fat."  
  
"Shut it, fox," Hiei growled softly, though he knew I was only teasing him in a playful manner. "What is that?" His crimson eyes fell on the piece of paper in my hand.  
  
"A grocery list," I answered a confused fire youkai. "My mother requests that I procure these items in order that she can create dinner."  
  
"Why do you even bother with that?" Hiei inquired in an exasperated tone. "Your human mother should be able to handle that without your assistance."  
  
"I do not want to trouble her," I replied with a small smile. "She is currently making dinner and does not wish to burn the food so she sent me to retrieve the necessary products."  
  
"You're becoming soft." His crimson gaze never left me.  
  
"If that offends you, then I shall be off," I commented slyly. I continued my trek towards the grocery store. "After all, I do not wish to consume black, inedible food."  
  
"Baka kitsune," Hiei growled softly, though he knew I can still hear him.  
  
After a few more steps, I had noticed a small fire youkai still trailing behind me. I guessed he must miss the action and thrill from going on missions. As the both of us were reformed youkai, we don't randomly attack people or steal from them. Yusuke and Kuwabara were attending summer classes or detention. I figured it was the latter as it was evening. That or they were getting into mischief as usual. It wasn't common for some of the rivalry schools to send their bullies to beat up either of them. I wished they wouldn't have beaten the living daylights out of those bullies when they know the normal humans didn't stand a chance against them. I mean come on. If those two can handle fighting pure blooded demons, then normal humans were no match for them, even on a bad day.  
  
"You must be really bored," I said casually as if I was talking to any other person.  
  
"Someone needs to watch your back, fox," Hiei grunted. He had taken to walking on the fence, next to me. "You're being careless."  
  
"Is that so?" I asked him with curiosity. "Or perhaps you're the one being careless?" I suddenly jumped up from where I was walking and cuffed him on the back of his neck to his surprise.  
  
"Like I said before, baka kitsune," Hiei scowled in an undignified manner.  
  
"Oh hush up," I laughed slightly. "How is your sister doing?" I knew he wanted to change the topic. In response, I received a grateful nod. That was the close I could get to a thank you from Hiei. He wasn't much for pleasantries.  
  
"She's doing fine the last time I checked up on her," Hiei answered bluntly. That was how it was with Hiei, straight and to the point.  
  
"I heard she is living with Genkai," I said casually as we strolled down to the grocery store. Hiei for once wasn't racing ahead or storming off.  
  
"That is correct," Hiei explained the situation. "For rent, she does chores around the temple and helps out with training the other students."  
  
"I never knew Genkai had students," I said, caught off guard. Yusuke was her latest student before she passed away. Yet, somehow he managed to find a way of bringing her back from the dead. Don't ask how, because I don't know and I wasn't there to witness his hair brained idea being placed into action.  
  
"She normally doesn't, but she has nothing better to do so she teaches amateur to intermediate students. If you're wondering fox, she doesn't teach any of the advanced students, because she reserves the right to choose whom she sees fit to pass down her skills."  
  
"Oh. You haven't told her, have you?" I gave Hiei a look crossed between confusion and a glare.  
  
"No, I haven't told Yukina," Hiei said in a very soft voice, quite out of character for him. "She doesn't deserve a cold hearted brother like me. She deserves someone to protect her and look out for her without being ashamed of him."  
  
"You accomplish those objectives from within the shadows," I said thoughtfully. "And I might add you're very good at them. Why don't you tell her? She's bound to figure out one of these days. I suppose she'll be upset not hearing it straight from you."  
  
"I suppose when she's ready," Hiei sighed.  
  
"Or more likely when you're ready," I teased him. I scooted over towards my left just as a fist came swinging towards me. "You'll have to be faster than that."  
  
"Who is this girl you're talking about?" An annoying voice interrupted our conversation. There stood the source of the voice along with Yusuke.  
  
"It's nothing you should be concerned about," Yusuke said nervously, while scratching the back of his head. "So drop it." The grease slicked hair boy knew Hiei's secret. He was there watching the tape Koenma sent them. Kuwabara was there as well, but he didn't stick around at the end, because he fell head over heels for Yukina once he saw her picture.  
  
"If it has anything to do with my ice princess, then it concerns me," Kuwabara announced with his chest puffed out. I could have sworn Hiei was on the verge of killing the other red head right then and there, but he didn't due to the large amount of people in the building. Not to mention the fact, it was against the law for youkai to kill ningens, no matter the circumstances.  
  
"She's in good heath," I spoke up before Hiei could open his mouth. "In fact, she's living with Genkai as we speak."  
  
"You mean Grandma is letting people live with her?" Yusuke asked, more like yelled.  
  
"That is correct," I said, nearly wincing at the decibel of his voice. "She is also training young students though she is very selective on which advanced student she trains."  
  
"Are you pulling our legs?" Kuwabara asked with a great amount of suspicion. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"I am most certainly not," I huffed indignantly. "If you're calling me a liar, then you're calling Hiei one, because it was him from whom I obtained the information." The said person growled at the short haired red head.  
  
"Never mind that," Kuwabara muttered under his breath.  
  
"What brings you here?" Yusuke asked what was on his mind.  
  
"Fox here is running errands for his ningen mother," Hiei answered with a scowl.  
  
"And Hiei followed me here with nothing better to do," I added. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"There was nothing to eat at home," Yusuke said, clasping his hand behind the back of his neck. "She's too drunk to do much anyways."  
  
"Go figure," Kuwabara said sarcastically. "It reeks of alcohol at your place, Urameshi, even I can't stand the smell of it."  
  
"Which means, I shouldn't be visiting you until you air out your home," I said while sweat dropping massively.  
  
"Whatever," came from Hiei.  
  
"That reminds me, I have to pick up the items on my list," I said, going back to my original task.  
  
"I still have to get a few things too," Yusuke pushed his cart behind us. "Keiko promised to teach me something about cooking."  
  
"Though it wouldn't do any good," Hiei commented rather rudely.  
  
"Hiei, that wasn't nice," I scowled at him.  
  
"It wasn't supposed to be nice," Hiei put it that way.  
  
The others fell, anime style. We finished running our errand mostly in silence with Yusuke asking questions about the produce and Kuwabara going on about Yukina. I ended up having to separate them in order to prevent them from fighting and thus us owing the owner of this store money to fix the damage.  
  
Upon arriving home, I found everything to be normal, except for the constant shouting. That was very odd. Why didn't I hear any of it while I approached home? Then it hit me. The other voice was none other than my lazy, good for nothing father. What could he possibly want with mother? I never considered him to be my father. In fact, my youkai father was much more caring than my human one and that was saying a lot. Mother never yelled, save for when she was trying to get our attention.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I want our sons," he demanded from my mother.  
  
"You can't have them," Shiori yelled back at him. "Where were you when they were growing up? What did you give to them except for their genes? Why did you even bother coming back after disappearing out of our lives? We are better off without you and will always be."  
  
"Out of my way wench," he growled loudly enough for me to hear him. Suddenly, I heard a body banging against the wall and raced towards the source. Mother was lying on the ground unconscious. At least, she wasn't severely injured.  
  
"Get your belongings packed, we're leaving," he barked at me. A wild fire blazed in his eyes.  
  
"No."  
  
"You will do as your told boy," he growled very angrily at me. "Or don't think I don't know about your little secret, Kurama."  
  
My eyes widened at the sound of my youkai name. I narrowed my eyes, becoming calm after he caught me off guard. "What makes you think I'll listen to you and what do you know of him?"  
  
"I'm not naïve as you think, Youko Kurama," he laughed but in an evil way. "I know you used to be the legendary bandit, Youko Kurama, before you bungled a high risk robbery. You escaped barely alive and that's why you merged with my unborn son. Am I right?"  
  
"Big deal if you're right," I said as if I didn't care, but in truth, I was very worried. Shiori had no clue I used to be a youkai. Would she think less of me? Most likely she would and I won't take that chance. On the other hand, I couldn't kill him, stupid reikai rules and such.  
  
"What would your mother think?" He said with an evil grin and glanced to where mother was lying on the floor.  
  
"Don't drag her into this," I growled at him with such ferocity he stepped back. "She has done nothing but loved you, and look at what you did to her. You left her when she needed you the most. She had to take care of two children while maintaining her job. It wasn't easy, but we managed to hang in there. No thanks to you."  
  
"I thought you cared too much about her," he said, taking a step towards her. His hand reached down towards her when I suddenly jumped in between and grabbed his arm, before twisting it behind him. He struggled to get out of my death grip, but as a human, he didn't stand a chance against me even in my ningen form.  
  
"You will not touch a single hair on her head," I spat at him. I tightened my grip, if that was even possible. "If you so as dare to look at her the wrong way, I will kill you, and I don't care about the demon rule of not killing humans. Her welfare is worth it."  
  
His eyes widened once he heard my bold statement. "You wouldn't dare?"  
  
"If you know so much about my youkai life, then you would know I had very little morals or a code of honor," I said, not bluffing or exaggerating. It, in fact, was the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "My death tree needs to be fed. You'll do perfectly."  
  
"Shuichi?" a soft voice called out to me.  
  
I was startled that my grip on him loosened and he was able to escape through a window. "Mother." I kneeled down next to her, checking for any injuries. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you that much? Can you stand up?"  
  
"I'm fine Shuichi or I should say Kurama," Shiori whispered, though I heard it crystal clear.  
  
That was when I started to back away. She knew, but how? She sensed my unease and closed the distance between us. "I'm not angry at you or scared." Her eyes told me she was telling me the truth. "What is your youkai form like?"  
  
If she asked that before, I couldn't change for her in an instant. I had to use that age reversing juice, but now, I found out a technique that I can use to transform back into my youkai form. Upon seeing my hesitation, she gave me a smile and squeezed my shoulder gently. I closed my eyes and transformed into my youkai form. When I opened my eyes, I saw her staring right into my golden ones.  
  
Her hand reached up towards the top of my head. Then I felt gentles strokes against my white fluffy ears. I closed my eyes and started to purr. Huh? Since when do I purr? Do foxes even purr? I never knew, because I never allowed anyone to touch my ears. They were really sensitive and often hurt under most people's touch.  
  
Then I heard giggling coming from my mother. I opened my eyes to see she had an amused look on her face. She reached over with her other hand and petted my other ear. I leaned onto the wall and dozed off until Shiori nudged me.  
  
"It's time to wake up Shuichi," she informed me. She stood up and straightened out her dress. "Or do you want to be called Kurama?"  
  
"I don't care," I shrugged. "A name is a name."  
  
"Very well," Shiori said, taking her leave with me a step behind her.  
  
I was still in my youkai form, because it took energy to transform into my human form and I was lazy that evening. Besides, I haven't eaten anything in my youkai form for awhile. If Shiori didn't mind, I'll stay in this form for the evening until I leave tomorrow.  
  
Dinner went by rather quickly and I found myself very bored inside my room. I rolled over on my bed, sighing out loud. My tail swayed very slowly and my golden eyes were a dimmed from their usual brightness. A rustling sound caught my attention. Before I can close my window, a black blur hopped right inside.  
  
"Kurama, what are you doing in your demon form?" Hiei asked, taking in my looks.  
  
"If you want to know, Shiori asked to see my demon form," I replied ever so bluntly like he would do in this situation.  
  
"Why would you tell her about your demon form?"  
  
"She already knew about it," I replied, while rolling over yet again. I now was laying on my stomach, watching Hiei. "She told me she heard me while my father and I were discussing a few things. He too knows, though I have no idea how he attained that information. He isn't around enough so I figured someone must have told him."  
  
"You know you're going to be in trouble for this," Hiei stated.  
  
"It's not my fault," I shrugged. Shiori had found out while he and I were 'discussing' our problems. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Botan."  
  
"What about Botan?"  
  
"She's driving me nuts."  
  
I began to laugh before completely busting up and falling off my bed. "You can't seriously be trying to escape from her. I thought if you can handle Kuwabara, then you should be able to handle one ningen girl."  
  
"She's no ordinary ningen," Hiei scowled. He crossed his arms and was currently towering over me. "Botan works for Koenma and she's knowledgeable in the spirit world affairs."  
  
"So?" I asked slyly after I recovered from my bout of laughter. "Keiko knows about the makai and reikai. She's not that scary unless you make her angry. You didn't anger Botan, did you?"  
  
Hiei shrugged. "It's most likely the answer."  
  
"What was the last thing you saw her doing?" I asked; curiosity getting the better of me.  
  
"She was chasing me yelling 'Omae o koruso,' Hiei answered truthfully.  
  
"That would definitely qualify as her being very pissed off at you, ne? What did you do to have caused her to express such a strong emotion?"  
  
Hiei stayed silent, lost in his thoughts. "I do not know which part of our conversation that set her off into such frenzy. I asked her if Koenma had any more missions for us, but she said that things have been very calm lately and the ningen world didn't need our help for now. I balked at her saying that Koenma very well was keeping me out of the loop because he didn't need a loose canon out there in the field. She whined to me about telling the truth and such. I refused to believe her and was about to head towards Koenma's office when she gave chase."  
  
"You really do know how to impress the ladies," I chuckled at his misfortune. "Don't worry I can help you out there."  
  
The half koorime only raised a brow at my proposal. "What are you jesting at, fox?"  
  
"For once, you should learn to trust people or at least give them the benefit of the doubt for such trivial matters," I said casually, while waiving my hand a little. It was then I noticed my companion narrow his eyes, to which I sighed in response. "Tell me Hiei, how many people, ningen or youkai, do you trust?"  
  
"Three," Hiei stated rather flatly. I knew immediately whom he was referring, well at least two of them. Yukina was an obvious choice as she was his twin, though she didn't know it at the time. The other one was me, because he trusted me enough times to seek shelter at my house while it was raining and couldn't get back to Genkai's temple in time. The third person was a complete mystery. I knew it definitely can't be Kuwabara, as the two were constantly arguing. It didn't leave me many options left. "The third one is Yusuke."  
  
"Were you reading my thoughts again?" I asked, peeved that he would dare go through my inner most thoughts. He shook his head in response.  
  
"I knew you knew the first two, because they were obvious," Hiei leaned back against the wall. "The third one was a surprise, even to me. I don't know how, but that boy is completely honest with himself and others. That's how I know I can trust him to a certain extent, not to mention he has somewhat of a code of honor."  
  
"You do have a point," I said thoughtfully.  
  
Soft quiet steps broke our conversation. Shiori must be coming up to check on me and make sure I wasn't going to bed at a late time. Even though we didn't have class the next day, I still went to bed early compared to humans my age.  
  
"Shuichi," she called out in a soft voice.  
  
"Yes?" I replied a bit louder so that she could hear me. Hiei remained silent during our entire conversation.  
  
"What time are you going to bed and is there someone with you?"  
  
"Hai, a friend dropped by," I called in response. "He's in need of refuge from a very angry woman, whom he stupidly annoyed." I heard a growl coming from his throat but paid no heed to it. "Would you mind if he stays the night? I can have him sleep on the floor if you wish."  
  
"That's alright dear," Shiori assured me. She opened the door until her eyes settled on Hiei. "Would you by any chance happen to be a full youkai?"  
  
"Does it matter to you?" Hiei slightly snapped at her, which received a glare from me. I wasn't expecting him to treat her like family, but I wished he would show her a little respect. No wonder why Botan was chasing after him. He often tended to shoot of his mouth, which in turn got him into trouble.  
  
Shiori shook her head to answer no and turned her attention to me. "One of your friends is asking to see you. He calls himself Yusuke Urameshi and said it was urgent that he meets up with you."  
  
"I wonder if it's a mission," Hiei said. The corners of his lips turned lightly upward in a smirk.  
  
"No, it's not that," the said boy entered the room. "I'm trying to escape Keiko."  
  
"What did you do this time?" I asked exasperated. Once Shiori saw that we were getting alone fine, she went back downstairs.  
  
"Seriously, I didn't do anything," Yusuke said, pretending to sound innocent. "I followed the recipe to the letter and she told me off for doing so."  
  
"You're not the only one escaping the angry wrath of a ningen," I informed a very confused Yusuke. I nodded my head towards Hiei. "He's trying to escape the wrath of one spirit messenger with blue hair."  
  
"Botan?" Yusuke laughed before busting up. "I never thought him to go for that type."  
  
"Are you quite finished?" Hiei asked, extremely irritated.  
  
"No!" 


	2. Unexpected Allies

Chapter 2: Unexpected Allies  
  
Disclaimer: Wingzero does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. However she does own the fox twins.  
  
Couples: Yusuke/Kurama, Hiei/Botan, Kuwabara/Yukina  
  
Later on Yusuke decided to take a bath. Since he didn't have time to pack any clothing or anything, I loaned him a set of night clothes. Hiei had taken to glaring at the door, still angry at the person behind it.  
  
"Hiei, let's face it," I sighed in exasperation. "You're not going to glare a hole through the wall as hard as you try."  
  
"Whatever," Hiei snorted as he continued to glare at the door. He turned his gaze towards me. "What are you going to do about your ningen father?"  
  
"I don't know," I said thoughtfully, swishing my tail back and forth. My golden eyes stared towards the ceiling. "Of course I know I can't kill him because of that stupid rule. I could make it look like an accident, but everything would end up to me."  
  
"You could get some human to do your dirty work," Hiei shrugged. His brown eyes glanced over towards the window, where he shut the blinds abruptly.  
  
"I don't know many humans who are willing to do it," I said after thinking who I could ask. Then again, it wouldn't be right, because I still would be behind it though indirectly. On the other hand, if I asked a human to stay around or stick around that human, he would have to defend himself and me so it wouldn't count against me. Not to mention, he could say he was using self-defense. "I think Kuwabara or Yusuke might do it."  
  
"The ape?" Hiei snorted with slight amusement in his voice. "I wouldn't count on him."  
  
"Is it because he likes your sister?" I asked him. There must be that twinkle of mischief in my eye, because he scowled at me.  
  
"Fox, don't even go there." He crossed his arm and glared at me before turning towards my bathroom door.  
  
Finally the bathroom door opened and Yusuke emerged with his hair wet and my night clothes on him. "So what were guys talking about?"  
  
"This and that," I teased him.  
  
Yusuke raised a brow but said nothing. He took a seat at my desk chair while I had my bed. "That's real helpful. Do either of you know how to calm an angry woman down?"  
  
"Does it look like I know?" Hiei growled. He sat in the darkest corner of my room.  
  
"Don't look at me," I said with my hands up in defeat. "I have yet to anger any woman."  
  
"You've never made any woman angry?" Yusuke gasped out loud. His jaw literally hit the ground in shock.  
  
"Not to my knowledge," I admitted sheepishly. "If I so happen to offend the opposite gender, then it must have been while I was really young."  
  
Yusuke went into panic mode; well, it wasn't life or death situation type. "I think I'm in for it. She's not the type of person who you can send flowers to and ask her to forget about it."  
  
"I suggest sitting down and having an adult conversation with her," I suggested, only to receive a blank stare. "Meaning don't yell, accuse her of something, or bring up the past. Above all, listen to what she has to say without interruptions unless she doesn't allow you to speak."  
  
"I suppose that would work," Yusuke said, scratching the side of his head. "Well if it doesn't, then I can always buy her something. What do girls like?"  
  
"Idiot," Hiei muttered under his breath.  
  
"Flowers, chocolates unless they're on a diet, plushies, dolls, make-up, picnics, clothing, or something romantic if you're dating her," I ticked off the list. I received shocked looks from the both of them this time. "What?"  
  
"How do you know these things?" Hiei voiced their question before Yusuke could ask.  
  
"I heard girls talking in the hallways," I smiled. Their facial expressions returned back to normal. "The female population in my school tends to talk. I can overhear them with my sensitive hearing. Some of their discussions, I would rather not hear such as their womanly problems."  
  
Yusuke snickered at my unfortunate circumstances. "In these times, I'm glad I don't have sensitive hearing."  
  
"Humans," Hiei muttered under his breath again.  
  
"Hiei, be nice," I reprimanded him. "You two are in the same boat so why not a truce for now, hm?" I glanced between the two of them.  
  
"I suppose I could if he quits calling me an idiot or something to that degree," Yusuke made his demand. He leaned into the back rest.  
  
"As long as I don't have to be all touchy, I don't mind sharing the same space as him," Hiei also voiced his demand.  
  
"Now that we cleared it up, why don't we decide on the sleeping arrangement," I suggested to my two companions and team mates.  
  
"I'm fine right here, fox," Hiei grumbled. He shifted around before he found a comfortable position against the wall."  
  
"What about you, Yusuke?" I turned my attention towards the black haired human.  
  
"The floor is fine with me," Yusuke said as though he was trying to convince me. "Besides, I'm used to it and this is your house. I wouldn't want to kick you out of your own bed." He paused for a second to look around my room. "You can pull off the covers and I'll sleep on that."  
  
"Are you sure about it?" I wanted a confirmation to his answer.  
  
"Of course," Yusuke urged me to use my bed. "It wouldn't seem right if I did."  
  
"Would you quit arguing on who's going to take the bed?" Hiei asked rather pissed off. "Kurama, you sleep on the bed and Urameshi gets the floor. End of story."  
  
"Of course," I said standing up. I made my way to the door, because I needed to get the extra sheets for Yusuke to use. As soon as I opened the door, I found Yusuke standing next to me.  
  
"What are you going out for?"  
  
"I'm going to retrieve our spare blankets," I replied with an amused smile. It was nice to know he cared. For some reason, I thought he thought I was going outside the house. Come on, I wasn't that stupid. Don't even respond.  
  
"I'll go help you," Yusuke said. He fell in step behind me. "You have a nice house."  
  
"Thanks," I said, trying not to blush at his complement. He really did care, at least to the extent of friendship or was it something more? Nah, it was my imagination playing tricks on me. I reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a thin blanket for him, figuring he wouldn't need a thick one or multiple one.  
  
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Yusuke asked me.  
  
"I don't think there's anything at the moment," I said thoughtfully. "If there's anything, I'll inform you. Thank you."  
  
"It's nothing," Yusuke said finding his feet more interesting. He scuffed the floor a few times. "Besides, we're crashing at your place. I would feel guilty if I didn't help you in any way. After all, you didn't expect us to be dropped on you. Besides, I don't think Hiei is the type of person to show his gratitude."  
  
I laughed a bit. "I don't think so either. He isn't the emotional type as you have noticed."  
  
"Let's go before Hiei decides to search for with that third eye of his," Yusuke laughed with me. We both entered my room to find the object of our discussion slowly drifting asleep. "You know he looks peaceful when he sleeps." He whispered his comment very softly near my ear.  
  
I nodded my head in agreement. At least this was one of the places Hiei felt comfortable to let down his guard. I quietly sneaked across my room and pulled off the covers so that Yusuke could sleep on them.  
  
As soon as I handed it to him, Yusuke arranged it on the floor in the middle of my room. He lay on his makeshift bed and pulled the blanket over him. I soon followed suit except on my bed. My first instinct was to curl up into a small ball; however when I wake up, I will most likely end up in that position.  
  
The Next Day  
  
Just like I predicted, I somehow curled myself into a ball during the night. Surprisingly the other two were awake, but they only whispered to each other. To my shock, they were getting along and having an actual conversation without making rude or sarcastic towards each other. That was it. I must be dreaming.  
  
"No, you're not dreaming," Hiei stated rather bluntly. How on earth did he know I was thinking that unless he was reading my mind again? "And I'm not reading your mind either. Your body language told everything."  
  
"Oh," I managed to say. I turned over to Yusuke, who shrugged his shoulders in response. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"  
  
"You were fast asleep," Yusuke answered nervously while scratching the back of his head and sweat dropping. "We didn't feel like disturbing you."  
  
Hiei gave me the look. He stated that we were going to talk about it later when we have no human company. Also his body language indicated that he wanted to talk to me alone.  
  
"How about breakfast?" I suggested to my two guests. I began sniffing the air to smell what Shiori was cooking for breakfast.  
  
"You'd know I'll eat almost anything edible," Yusuke spoke up with his sheepish grin. "It has to be better than my mom's cooking."  
  
"Urameshi, frozen dinners are better than your mom's cooking," Hiei commented on the culinary skills of Yusuke's mother.  
  
"You know I'm not going to argue with you on that," Yusuke sighed wistfully. "It's a miracle I lived this long."  
  
"Maybe you have a strong stomach or an immunity to poison?" Hiei said off handedly.  
  
Yusuke started laughing at the fire youkai's joke. "You know I'd like to think the latter. If I can survive my mom's cooking, then I think I can survive being poisoned."  
  
"One would theorize," Hiei continued their polite conversation.  
  
My golden eyes blink with confusion. This was the first time I saw them acting ..... normal towards each other. "Are you sure you two are okay?"  
  
"Of course baka kitsune," Hiei scowled at me, though I knew he was only annoyed. For Kuwabara, it wasn't hard for him to get Hiei very angry at him. I knew it will take me some time for Hiei to become angry with me. I remembered back to when I had helped Yusuke by taking the blow. Hiei became angry at me, because I stole his death blow.  
  
Yusuke was more than willing to give up part of his life so that I could be with my human mother. I didn't know why he would sacrifice it, but then he emotionally told me about his experience with his mother. He had died before and was allowed to be brought back to life only to become a spirit detective. That was history, as in over and done with.  
  
The human male tried to give me those innocent eyes as if saying 'Who me?' "There's nothing wrong with us."  
  
My eyes became slits before I changed back to my human form. "Wouldn't want to keep her waiting?" I asked as I walked out of the room.  
  
Hiei was pretty much used to my sudden change in moods. He was my partner after all, not in that way! A confused Yusuke trailed behind the two of us, wondering what was going on or at least I suspected to be the case.  
  
Upon entering the kitchen, we found my human mother finish cooking the morning meal. I took a seat and gestured for the others to take a seat. Yusuke didn't hesitate in sitting down while Hiei edged towards a chair as if it was going to attack him directly. Shiori seemed to be amused by the short youkai's actions.  
  
"Hiei, the chair is not going to poison, kill, or maim you," I sighed in exasperation. "And no it will not strangle, crush, or cause any bodily harm."  
  
Hiei snorted indignantly before taking a seat. Seriously, he didn't trust anything or anyone. Well, he admitted to me there was a very, I meant very few people he could trust, though I don't know to what extent.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" Shiori asked us as a group. She had turned off the stove and was ladling the hash browns onto a plate on the table.  
  
"Yes, thank you ma'am," Yusuke was surprisingly polite. He started to help himself to the food after the cook had taken the last seat for herself.  
  
"Hn," was Hiei's usual response, but it didn't upset her. Probably it was a mom thing or something. Humans were such complicated creatures at times.  
  
Breakfast went surprisingly well, considering who we had at the table. Yusuke was polite enough not to stuff his face and had good table manners. He made a few positive comments about her cooking to make her blush a couple times. Hiei wasn't exactly the conversationalist. However, if either one of us left out or misinterpreted a fact, he immediately corrected. Shiori was very curious as to our many adventures, which left me absent from my home. While we told her about the dark tournament, she became very worried and literally forbade me from participating in another one. I assured her this time it would be different, because I can transform into my youkai form at will. Still it didn't reassure her. Afterwards, Yusuke insisted that he wash the dishes as a way of thanking her for a good meal.  
  
Later in the morning, we decided to take a walk in the park with Hiei trailing behind us in the trees as usual. Of course, we had changed into our day clothes long before then. Earlier I asked Yusuke if he had summer classes or something, but he informed me they didn't on Saturday.  
  
"What do you want today?" I asked the other two.  
  
"I don't know," Yusuke shrugged. "I suppose pacifier breath might have a case for us, considering what happened yesterday."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, a bit worried something happened.  
  
"Hiei told me about your human father yesterday," Yusuke explained. And I didn't hear them converse? It must have been while I was fast asleep. Dang, I must have been really out cold if I didn't wake up while they were talking. "Do you think he's working for someone like the Toguro brothers?"  
  
"I doubt the older brother would bother with weak humans," Hiei spoke up, startling Yusuke who wasn't used to his habits. "We can rule out the saint beasts unless someone resurrected them without our knowledge."  
  
"I think it is possible," Yusuke said thoughtfully after getting over the shock. "I did revive granny, though I don't know why I did in the first place."  
  
"You miss her," I teased him before I stepped away. However instead of swinging at me like some fire youkai he growled.  
  
"Whatever," Yusuke grunted, sounding almost Hiei like.  
  
"I suppose we can drop by Koenma's office," I suggested to the others. "Maybe we should pick up Kuwabara along the way."  
  
"That big ape?" Hiei snorted and glared at Yusuke's back. "Why would you want him along?"  
  
"He could be a distraction for our enemies?" Yusuke said off handedly. "He does have a high spirit awareness."  
  
"Fine then as long as he stays out of my way," Hiei went back to hopping in the trees.  
  
"I had wanted to ask you a few questions," I said, walking besides Yusuke. He turned his attention to me. "Since when did you and Hiei start getting along? No offense, but you two seemed to be either at each other's throats or ignoring each other."  
  
"We had a long talk before you woke up," Yusuke answered with his usual grin. "No, it wasn't the emotional types. You know Hiei doesn't like those, but we were discussing our situation. I mean there has to be someone pulling the strings. Isn't there?"  
  
"I would think so," I said thoughtfully. "My human father could not have known my past life; let alone my human one. He wasn't around if you were wondering."  
  
"My pops was never around," Yusuke said, very annoyed. "He left me with an alcoholic mom."  
  
"Which would explain some of your behavior," I observed. He grunted in reply but said nothing else. "Speaking on which, where does Kuwabara live?"  
  
"He lives not far from here," Yusuke informed us as he turned the corner and walked down the sidewalk. "It's going to be hard to get him away from here without something good, especially if Hiei's coming. No offense!"  
  
"I know those two don't get along," I said wistfully. Sometimes, I wish they did a little more than barely tolerate each other's presence. No, I wasn't going to force them to be friends, but I wanted them to treat each other like team mates.  
  
"Assuming Koenma doesn't have the information we seek, then where do you propose we go?" Hiei asked after jumping down. He walked on the other side of me, away from Yusuke.  
  
"Maybe to Genkai's," I suggested. It would be an ideal place to train without being noticed. Plus my human father wouldn't think of looking for me there. Then again, we have to protect my human mother from danger. She will be a vulnerable target on her own. "But first we go back to my place and get my mother. She will not be safe within the walls of our home."  
  
"Human weakness," Hiei grunted, causing the both of us to glare at him.  
  
"Yeah, the first thing we need to do is make sure your mother is safe," Yusuke confirmed my decision. "Then we go meet up with granny. Why do you want to head to her place?"  
  
"It kills three birds with one stone," I replied with my knowing smirk. My two companions gave me confused looks. "First of all, we know Kuwabara will come once he knows Yukina is at Genkai's place and that it is one of our destinations. Second, hardly anyone goes in the general area so it would be a good place to hide my mother until we can find a decent place. Third, it provides a place for us to train without any distraction."  
  
"I never thought about it that way," Yusuke blinked his eyes.  
  
"Since when did you ever think?" Hiei said sarcastically.  
  
"I bet you never thought of it in the first place," Yusuke replied with equal sarcasm. The remark made Hiei look everywhere but at us. "Thought so." After walking a few minutes, Yusuke stopped in front a door and knocked on it.  
  
"Hold on Urameshi, I'm coming," a familiar voice called out. If you haven't wondered, he finally was able to distinguish our energy signatures. The door was yanked open and his face appeared from behind it. His beady eyes went over to the two of us. "You brought them?"  
  
"They are our friends," Yusuke said, then he glanced over at Hiei. "One of them at least. We were heading towards Koenma's, because we have a case."  
  
"Why should I bother?" Kuwabara snorted.  
  
"I thought you were bored this summer," Yusuke said, completely caught off guard.  
  
"Well, sis decided to stay for awhile," Kuwabara said, motioning back into the house. "Besides, I need to take care of my little kitten."  
  
"We are going to head to my place and then Genkai's afterward," I said with my calm voice. "We'll tell Yukina you were busy..."  
  
Before I could even finish the sentence, Kuwabara jumped in. "Why didn't you say so? Of course I'll come!"  
  
I glanced over to Yusuke giving him 'I told you so' look. "In that case, you might want to change into more suitable clothes." My eyes surveyed his night wear, which consisted of kitten pajamas. He seriously was obsessed with cats.  
  
"Right," Kuwabara said, blushing a bright shade of red. He immediately rushed back into his house to change into something.  
  
"Hey sis, I'm hanging out with my friends!" The other red head called out to his sister.  
  
"What time are you coming back?" A female voice called from somewhere within the edifice.  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"If you don't plan on being back for dinner, then at least call!"  
  
"Okay! Please watch over Eichikins (sp?)!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
The tall human came bounding out in his daytime attire, apparently very eager to meet with his future or current girlfriend. "So what are we waiting for?"  
  
"Idiot," Hiei mumbled under his breath, though no one except me heard it.  
  
I shook my head in frustration. Those two were going at each other again. If only they would tolerate each other like Hiei did with Yusuke, but it was different. At least Hiei had respect for Yusuke, which Kuwabara plainly did not.  
  
Hiei and I led the way while the other two of our party remained in the back. Yusuke filled Kuwabara on our self-imposed mission and Kuwabara as always seemed to grasp the general ideas of it, though I wasn't exactly how sure he grasped the urgency of it. The fire youkai seemed to be in his own thoughts. It might involve one messenger of the spirit world with blue hair and a perky personality to match.  
  
As for me, my thoughts constantly went back onto the attack my human father made on my mother. No doubt, she cannot be safe in our own house, considering the fact there were youkai backing him up. I hardly can believe that the youkai would involve ningen or humans, because we normally thought them as inferiors, but then they did make good spies in the human world, where most of us could not tread lightly.  
  
A sudden surge of power caught my attention rather abruptly and vanished without a trace, leaving the four of us confused. What was that? It felt very odd as they were completely opposite. That was a question for another day. My mind wanted to reason that, but deep down inside, I knew it was tied into my predicament.  
  
"What was that?" Yusuke was the first of us to voice the silent question lingering in our minds.  
  
"I can not locate it with my third eye," Hiei scowled. His third eye was in use as the headband that he normally wore over it was off. "Caution dictates we must move swiftly and quietly before they know of our plans."  
  
"Agreed," I said hastily, not wanting an argument from the other two. "We split up. Hiei and Yusuke will go ahead of us to Genkai's. I'm sure there will be several youkai or ningen to intercept us and I don't want to lead them where we are hiding my mother. Kuwabara and I will go to my house."  
  
"Hold on there, Kurama," Kuwabara said with uncertainty. "How do you know if the surge of power was an enemy?"  
  
"For once, the ape has a point," Hiei sarcastically commented while crossing his arms over his chest. "You're becoming too suspicious."  
  
"Look who's talking," Yusuke snorted at the shortest one. "But he does also have a point. We do not want a gang of youkai tailing us back to grandma's place. So we'll just have to split up and clear the path."  
  
"Why on earth would you pair Urameshi up with Hiei?" Kuwabara inquired as if the answer was blatantly obvious.  
  
"Because we need one ningen and one youkai to be in each pair," I explained to the somewhat dense spirit detective. "You and Hiei do not interact well, but he manages to tolerate Yusuke's presence so it would seem prudent to pair them up. Plus, I have more patience with those aren't as quick as others."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kuwabara narrowed his beady eyes at me.  
  
"You can take as you like," I replied with my ever so calm demeanor.  
  
"We're wasting time here, fox," Hiei reminded me of our urgent plan. "If you want to keep your ningen mother out of their hands, we must act swiftly and decisively."  
  
"Of course," I said before we parted our ways with Kuwabara a few steps behind me.  
  
As we heading in our separate directions, I wondered what that mysterious power surge and if there were any connections it had with the youkai backing up my ningen father.  
  
Hopefully, I will find out without losing my mother. Otherwise,  
  
someone will pay dearly. 


	3. Friend or Foe

Chapter 3: Friend or Foe?  
  
Disclaimer: Wingzero does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. However she does own the fox twins.  
  
Couples: Yusuke/Kurama, Hiei/Botan, Kuwabara/Yukina  
  
Third Person POV  
  
Two figures stood side by side. They were twins, but looking upon them, one couldn't tell as they seemed like complete opposites of each other. They stood at the same height with different body builds. The muscular one had black hair and seemed to be more on the cold side. His body was built for strength while his companion's was built for speed and grace. The other had flowing silver-white hair.  
  
Of course if anyone was caught looking at them, he or she would have thought these two were in costume, for in the clearing stood two powerful fox youkai. The two of them had slipped out of their ningen disguises to greet this mysterious person. They had sensed the power surge not too long ago and now were searching for the source of it; however the power surge didn't last long and now they were forced to sniff him or her out, which was taking them longer.  
  
The white haired fox youkai searched the area where his senses last picked up the power. Unlike his brother, he had more training mentally instead of using various weapons. He mastered some weapons while his brother had practically mastered every weapon he could get his paws onto. Still both of them were forces to be reckoned with.  
  
"Have you picked anything up?" The dark haired youkai growled to his younger brother. He hated waiting and not being able to sense energies like his brother. If it came down to it, he preferred an all out combat as opposed to a stealth one.  
  
The light haired youkai shook his head. He had not been able to pick up any energy signature. In his mind, he knew it was somewhere close. His instincts told him to be alert as they spoke for that person lurked somewhere. He knew his brother wasn't exactly the patient type so he hurried.  
  
On this summer day, the sun shined with a blazing heat. Most people retreated under the shade or into a pool during peak hours. The breeze decided not to make its presence known, making several people and youkai grumble. Nevertheless, they managed to survive with it by creating their own using air conditioners. That meant their electric bills went up. The birds waited for the weather to cool down before heading out of their nests unless they had young ones to feed. In that case, they were out, hunting for food.  
  
"What's taking you so long?" The dark haired youkai inquired his little brother. Normally, his brother wouldn't have any trouble tracking down their prey. They were deadly bounty hunters, but now that they have lived human lives, they pretty much went into retirement. Before then, they were the very efficient in their line business and usually took high risk jobs.  
  
"This person must be disguising his or her power," the light haired one said completely exasperated. "I can't track his or her scent either because we don't have a sample."  
  
He knew his brother was irritated and cranky. They were risking being caught by the spirit detectives or rogue youkai. Also the ningen might find them and go running to the authorities, which would lead the spirit detectives to them.  
  
Suddenly, a flash of blue caught the older twin's eye. He knew if it weren't for his youkai senses he wouldn't have detected anything. "We have company." He yipped to his brother in the fox youkai language, hoping that the intruder didn't understand.  
  
The younger brother just nodded his head and went about searching for the power source while keeping alert. He too saw a flash of yellow after his brother had warned him. Before the older youkai could react, his brother was being charged at by a bee youkai.  
  
"Too easy," the younger fox youkai easily dodged the bee only to be facing a swarm. "On second thought, maybe it won't." He loved a challenge and this certainly proved to be one or so he thought.  
  
His brother snorted. Their youki were rather low compared to what they normally handled. These must be the minions sent out to accomplish some menial work. The problem was no one in their right mind would send them out unless their target was pretty much weak like some of these ningen.  
  
A few punches and kicks sent these bee youkai sailing through the air. The dark haired youkai wasn't even trying. A black ball of dark energy formed in his hand before it was thrown at the fallen bee youkai. They were instantly killed upon impact. "This is a waste of my time."  
  
With his quick reflexes and speed, the light haired youkai was finished off the last of the bee youkai. "I know. There lies the problem."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"These are low class youkai. How would they be able to enter the ningenkai?"  
  
Kurama's POV  
  
Kuwabara and I headed towards my mother's house. On the way there, we encountered a handful of youkai. It was apparent they were searching for my mother, because they were tailing us once they caught sight. With my companion's sharp energy senses and my sense of smell, we were able to find them with no problem and dispatch them quickly, leaving no one to call for backup.  
  
I stopped abruptly at my front door and was almost flattened by Kuwabara if I hadn't stepped out of the way at the last second possible. Good thing my door withstood such force. I didn't want my mother to be paying for this. After all, we were barely managing and I might have to find a job if anything should happen.  
  
Fishing out my keys, I dropped them and fumbled for the house key. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kuwabara peeling himself off my front door. He stumbled a bit, but then regained his equilibrium in no time.  
  
"Jeeze Kurama, I thought you were more graceful than that," he chuckled at me. He had this goofy smile of his, which made me want to strangle him at that very second.  
  
"I'm merely worried my mother might be in their hands," I said as I shoved the key rather harshly into the lock. His smile changed to a frown. He knew the danger to my mother and his honor wouldn't let him mock me at the moment. I was grateful for it. With a few turns, I had my front door open and walked into a nice house. Good, they haven't been here.  
  
Kuwabara took his time to look around the place. I believed it was his first time over at my house. Hiei was a frequent visitor as he used this place as refuge when the weather became unbearable. Yusuke sometimes would drop by when he needed help with his homework or something in life. Why was it people turned to me for help or advice?  
  
I couldn't smell her as it hung heavily in the air. No duh, she lived here so it would be natural her scent was everywhere. "Mother?" I called out to her, hoping that she would answer like she always does.  
  
No one answered and I glanced over to Kuwabara, who shrugged. Of course he wouldn't know the energy signature my mother had, because he had never met her. He only heard of her, during the tournament. Yusuke was the only one out of our group, who formally met my mother and he was with Hiei doing clean up.  
  
I slipped into the kitchen. She usually could be found here, creating wonderful food, but she wasn't here. Maybe she might be upstairs or doing the laundry, perhaps even cleaning? I walked out of the room and pushed past a surprised Kuwabara. He probably didn't have time to retort or he knew that I wasn't exactly in the best of moods and didn't want to push his luck.  
  
Quickly, I looked all over the first floor before proceeding to the second floor. Now that I thought about it, I haven't heard anything besides us since we have been here. Then you have to take into consideration there was no sign of break in or struggle. This made me more nervous and high strung.  
  
"She isn't here," I slumped over in my room. My room was the last one I searched. I buried my head into my hands and curled up on my bed. "What if they have taken her? What if they're torturing her as we speak?" I received a jolt in the form of a slap.  
  
"Stop thinking about it," Kuwabara said with a serious tone. His eyes became squinty and his hands were on his hips. "Everything is going to be all right. She might have stepped out for groceries or whatever mom's do."  
  
My green eyes blinked rapidly for the next minute or so as I digested the information. For once, I wasn't the rational one, which deep down inside made me happy to a certain degree. "I've been to the grocery store yesterday, and besides, she usually leaves me a note."  
  
"You were out and I think she thought she will be back before you," Kuwabara suggested. Now something was wrong with him. He usually doesn't come up with ideas. "If you're wondering, it happens a lot with my family." Ah, so that was where he got the idea. Wait a second, how did he know what I was thinking? Then I recalled what Hiei said to me.  
  
Minutes later, I heard the front door opening and rushed downstairs before Kuwabara had a chance to register I was exiting the room. I stood in front of my ningen mother, helping her with the clothing she was holding.  
  
"Thank you," she replied in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to be home this early. "I thought you were with your friends."  
  
"There's no time to explain," I said, ushering her to her room on the second floor. Meanwhile, Kuwabara peeked out of my room. "You need to pack, because it isn't safe here."  
  
My mother nodded her head. She knew I wasn't joking around and hurried to pack her belongings. Since we didn't know how long it would be for, she will need to pack for more than an overnight stay. I decided I would also need to pack my belongings. In any case, I could always come back here by myself or with one of the others. There was no way I was going to risk my mother coming back here even with a company of good youkai.  
  
"Kuwabara, I need you to step out of my room," I asked him politely as possible since I was kicking him out of my room. "Unless you want to be run over by a nervous fox youkai."  
  
"I think I'll take my chances outside," Kuwabara laughed as he exited my room.  
  
With him out of the way, I packed the necessities. Of course, I wouldn't be taking any of my textbooks. They were heavy and I had no school for the time being. Maybe I should pack my portable CD player and a few CD's just in case. I hesitated on whether or not I should bring my laptop but then decided to because we were going to be away for who knows how long.  
  
1 hour later  
  
We were packed and ready to go. Kuwabara didn't mind carrying my mother's larger luggage. She figured she might as well pack enough supplies for a month, meaning she had two large suitcases and a carry on as well as her purse. I had one large suitcase, my backpack, and a carry on. Of course, women had more things they needed than men. I wasn't about to explore that mystery, but I did know my mother didn't wear a lot of make-up or perfume.  
  
Both Kuwabara and I were on constant watch as we headed towards Genkai's place. I used my power of illusion to make it seem like we were carrying smaller items instead of three large suitcases. That way if someone did see us, it looked like we were normally heading out. I certainly hope we didn't meet up with the source of the huge power surge.  
  
"Where are we headed?" My mother inquired with a soft voice. I could see she was nervous and I don't blame her. It wasn't everyday you hide from murderous youkai. Well, for most of the people it wasn't normal and I don't hide.  
  
"We're going to a friend's place," I answered her vaguely, because someone may be listening into our conversation.  
  
"I wouldn't exactly call her a friend," Kuwabara said off handedly. It was evident how he felt about Genkai. I at least gave her respect.  
  
"Then what would you call her?" I asked with a hint of amusement. In the shade, there were several people lounging or keeping themselves busy. I saw ice cream shops, literally overflowing with customers. In some of the stores with air conditioner, some people were browsing through the aisles, taking their sweet time. I don't blame them.  
  
"A team mate," the other red head replied. I knew she was his friend and he was her friend, even if both of them were too stubborn to admit it. "I wonder where Urameshi and the runt are."  
  
I sighed in exasperation. "Hiei is not a runt. Honestly, do you have to call him names?"  
  
"He calls me names all the time," Kuwabara replied childishly, which caused my mother to giggle at his antics.  
  
"I'll try to talk to Hiei about that," I offered him. "If I can get him to stop calling you names, would you stop calling him names?" Truthfully, I hoped they would get along and maybe become friends. Now I knew that was wishful thinking as it would take a miracle for those two to get along. Yusuke and Hiei were a different matter. I'd think they would become friends given time. Yet, Hiei and Kuwabara will be related through marriage if the red head decided to pop the question to Yukina, though I doubt it would be any time in the near future. They weren't officially dating, not to my knowledge.  
  
"Sure, if you can get him to do it, then I will too," Kuwabara agreed to it. "I wonder how my ice angel is doing." What was the sudden change in topics? Did he really know Hiei and Yukina were related?  
  
"You know she is a youkai," I whispered loudly to him. My mother heard this and had a puzzled look on her face. I walked near her this time. "She's a youkai, a koorime to be more precise."  
  
"What is a koorime?" My mother inquired politely.  
  
"A race of ice youkai," I replied. "You'll meet her when we reach our destination. She lives with the owner of the house. Just to warn you, she isn't exactly nice to strangers either."  
  
"I see."  
  
The rest of the walk we spent either in silence or my mother asking questions with me answering them. She had an inquisitive mind. It made me wonder if some of her rubbed off on me or was it the other way around? Foxes tend to be curious creatures by nature. We were also playful and mischievous as well.  
  
"Where are those two?" Kuwabara asked. We had exited the dense area of the city and were now heading towards the less populated area.  
  
"That wouldn't be us you're referring to," Yusuke was hanging out in a tree, smirking. No I knew something was definitely wrong. That was Hiei's job!  
  
"Urameshi," Kuwabara greeted his rival.  
  
"Did either of you stumble across him or her?" I asked the both of them, even if the other was nowhere in sight. My senses picked up his youki very close.  
  
"No," Hiei's voice came out of nowhere, startling both my companions. "We were close, but they were able to get away. It was more than one and two of them had youki. I wasn't able to discern what the third one was." The fire/ice youkai leapt out of the tree and landed with hardly any sound.  
  
"This is not good," I muttered to myself, though I knew at least one of them could hear me. "Did you clear the way?"  
  
"Yeah, you wouldn't imagine how many we had to get rid of," Yusuke said off handedly. He jumped to the ground with a loud thud. "You know you two are becoming popular with the youkai." He indicated my mother and I. "They've been asking for the two of you since they knew Kurama hung out with us a lot."  
  
My mother didn't know what to say and the others didn't feel like stepping in at the moment so I decided to speak up. "Why don't we all go to her place?" Before it was too late, I mentally added.  
  
"Sure thing, Kurama," Yusuke agreed to it. He shoved his hands into his pockets and waited for the others to respond.  
  
Needless to say, Hiei took off into the trees. I explained it to them that he was going to be our look out. Besides, it gave us an element of surprise. They might not know we had an extra person guarding our backs.  
  
"Let's go," Kuwabara said pointing straight towards Genkai's house. "My ice princess awaits my arrival." With that, he marched proudly onward as if he was a knight going back home to his princess. I could imagine Hiei on the verge of strangling Kuwabara or rolling his eyes.  
  
"Did anything exciting happen on your trip?" Yusuke asked me, trying to start a conversation. His brown eyes glanced to the trees. Yes, we have entered the forest at this point.  
  
"Nothing exciting," I waved him off. "Just a few youkai, wanting to kill me or kidnap my mother." For me, this was just the usual. However, I noticed how my mother paled at my casual saying of this or maybe it was the fact there were youkai after her. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," my mother attempted to sound assuring. "It's just new to me. I don't know how you manage to do all this and keep up with your studies."  
  
"Mother, you know about my past," I reminded her. My sensitive hearing picked up a very faint rustle among the trees. Instinctively, I readied myself for an attack when I realized it was only Hiei guarding our backs and relaxed. "I'm used to dealing with it, but if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to come to me."  
  
"You can talk to anyone of us," Yusuke helped out. "With the exception of Hiei. He's not the touchy, feely type."  
  
"True," I agreed with him while Kuwabara snorted.  
  
"Thank you so much," Shiori said with a genuine smile.  
  
2 hours later  
  
We arrived at Genkai's place in one piece, which was good in our case. I dispatched my illusions from the luggage we were carrying. Genkai, aka Grandma, was out having her lunch by the time we arrived. Yukina was with her and I noticed she had made enough food to feed an army. Well, it looked like Hiei and Yusuke stopped by the place as they cleared our path.  
  
"I figured you'll be hungry," Yukina smiled at all of us while Kuwabara went weak at the knees and only nodded his head. "Please take a seat and eat. There's plenty enough to go around."  
  
"Thank you," Kuwabara managed to say without stuttering too much. He placed Shiori's two suitcases down gently and helped himself to the food as I shook my head.  
  
"I'll be a few minutes," I informed my hosts. "I would like to set our belongings down before we eat." I didn't want to sound rude; at the same time, I wanted to know which room we will be staying in. I've been here a few times, including the whole netherworld incident.  
  
Yukina waved her hand indicating for us to put down our luggage. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Kuwabara will help you after you eat. Wouldn't you?" She turned those crimson eyes over towards the said person.  
  
Seeing as he had his mouth full, Kuwabara merely nodded very enthusiastically. She practically had him wrapped around her finger, except she was too naïve to take notice of it. Besides, she was too nice to use him.  
  
I placed my belongings near the other suitcases as well as my mother's carry on. Yusuke was already helping himself now that he wasn't needed. I swore those two can eat like an army. Oh well, at least they fought like a ningen army. My mother waited patiently for me before she started to eat.  
  
"How long do you plan on crashing at my place?" Genkai asked rather bluntly. She wasn't known for being kind.  
  
"I'm hoping a week at the latest," I answered her after I swallowed. It was rude to talk with your mouthful, not to mention messy and completely disgusting. "We're planning to find a more permanent hiding place until we take care of our problem."  
  
"And what is this 'problem' you need to take care of?"  
  
The other spirit detectives and I filled her in my problem. She surprisingly listened to our explanations without saying anything until we were finished. With her, I knew she would make some wise crack about our situation, but then again, she did agree to let us stay here for the mean time, though she insisted we help out around the place. She had Yusuke helping her with her other students. Kuwabara was to use his 'muscles' around the house and help Yukina with the chores. I was to tend the garden and the surrounding areas. My mother helped with the household chores as well. Hiei, let's just say he stayed out of everyone's way.  
  
After Lunch  
  
I unpacked some of my belongings. Why I didn't completely unpack? I originally planned to stay there no more than a week. Then I would have to pack again when we moved to a more permanent place. I glanced over at the clock and sighed to myself. This was going to be a long day. I wasn't tired physically but emotionally yes.  
  
My mother roomed with Yukina. It made sense as they were both women while I roomed with Yusuke. Kuwabara had to sleep the furthest away from all of us due to his snoring. Genkai said she will kick him out if he refused to sleep in that room. Naturally he accepted, because he wanted to spend more time with Yukina.  
  
As we were going to stay there for a week, the others secretly headed to their houses for their supply. Something made me think Kuwabara was not only picking up his clothing and other daily necessities but a little bundle of fur as well. He was very fond of the cat from what I could tell and from what Yusuke informed me.  
  
"Are you okay?" My mother asked me.  
  
Eh? I never noticed her step into my room. This was not good. I usually was alert. "I'm just tired. That's all."  
  
"Are you worried about me?"  
  
Dang, she knew. It must be a mom thing; it had to be a mom thing. Seriously, they have this book on how to raise children somewhere. I only nodded my head as I couldn't lie to her. In the past, I did, though now I completely regret it. I didn't want her to know I was a fox youkai or that I was a former thief.  
  
She walked over to me and sat right next to me. My ningen mother pulled me close to her. With her hand, she rubbed circles on my back, comforting me as if I was a child. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."  
  
I don't know whether it was her words or the fact that she was holding me like she would a young child, but I felt relaxed.  
  
I felt safe. 


	4. Interesting Developments

Chapter 4: Interesting Developments  
  
Disclaimer: Wingzero does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. However she does own the fox twins.  
  
Couples: Yusuke/Kurama, Hiei/Botan, Kuwabara/Yukina  
  
---Kurama's POV---  
  
Later that night, Yusuke and the others returned from their homes or training. Hiei went off somewhere after Yusuke and Kuwabara left. It was hard to guess what went through that brain of his. I knew he will return, because his little sister resided here. It was also because of her, Kuwabara also decided to stay.  
  
"What took you so long?" I inquired while writing in my journal. My room mate was currently standing in the doorway with a sack over his shoulder.  
  
"Keiko," Yusuke replied with a long sigh. He dropped his baggage beside the unoccupied bed roll. "She wanted to talk about our relationship. You don't know how relieved I was when I found out she wasn't mad at me. I wonder what happened to her yesterday."  
  
I shrugged in response. How was I suppose to know what went on in the mind of the other half? I wasn't a mind reader, like Hiei. Besides, do I look like a girl? Don't even think about saying yes to that or you'll be answering to my death tree.  
  
"Maybe she had time to cool off or something." For some reason, I unconsciously held my breath when realization hit me faster than Hiei's dragon of the darkness flame.  
  
"You think?" Yusuke asked with hope shining in those bright brown eyes of his. Arg, I did not think of that. "I was kind of hoping for that, because I wanted her to tutor me for summer school." He was now scratching the back of his head nervously.  
  
This time, I narrowed my eyes when I turned my gaze away from him. He knew he could come to me for help, but I guessed he wanted to spend more time with Keiko. I don't blame him. She was more innocent than I. Wait a second, how did I ever become involved in this?  
  
"Speaking of which, what made you change your mind about your studies?" I inquired out of curiosity. There was always a reason or some strange excuse whenever Yusuke actually did something he didn't like.  
  
A rustle of cloth sounded near me, signaling my room mate sitting on his bed roll. "I really don't know why. Maybe if I did well in school, she'll get off my case and I actually get to spend time with her when she's not pulling the guilt trip on me."  
  
"You do care for her, don't you?" I thought I felt my heart stop when I heard myself say those words. Of course, he cared for her or he wouldn't have risked his life to save her from the invasion of the makai insects and Suzaku.  
  
"I do," Yusuke replied thoughtfully. "You know when I'm with her, I can't stand her, but I'm not with her, I miss her. It's so confusing."  
  
"Sadly, I don't have any advice for you." I turned around to face the detective. This time I managed to pull up my mask of indifference. Yeah, I mastered it some time ago when I had to lie to my own mother. Blast this human heart of mine and these damn emotions.  
  
Shaking his head, Yusuke replied, "I wasn't expecting you to have one. Besides, it feels good to get this off my chest."  
  
Really? If it made one of us happy, then I guessed it wasn't so bad, even if I had these strange emotions swirling inside of me.....  
  
What about me? I wanted someone to listen to me, but I had doubts of telling the exact person for whom I harbored these feelings. Don't get me wrong, but my feelings for Yusuke had changed and they weren't overnight. It all started when he risked his life to help me save my mother's. It helped that he was willing to trust me, a thief he just met with the mirror.  
  
Suddenly those brown eyes were very close to me. I would have fallen down, if I weren't lying down already. How did he get there so quickly? Maybe Hiei was right and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.  
  
"Are you okay?" He reached over and touched my forehead to feel my temperature.  
  
I never knew he could be this gentle or kind. Well, I knew he can be kind when he wanted to be. "I'm okay." I gave him a reassuring smile and pulled his hand off my forehead, even if I was enjoying his touch. Wait a second! I needed to lye down again.  
  
"You sure?" Yusuke asked this time with more concern.  
  
Argh! I can't take this anymore! These damn human emotions threatened to tear me apart and I don't even know the reason why. Sure, I had these strong feelings towards Yusuke, but I don't even know what the hell they were. Why was I doing this to myself?  
  
Closing my eyes, I allowed my body to take my true form. That should do the trick. Now what? Oh great, Yusuke was looking at me as if I had grown a second head or something. I merely shrugged it off.  
  
"I'm fine now," I stated in a voice that meant this conversation was over. Yet, there was this tug on my 'cold' heart. I don't know what it was, but it bothered me to no ends. Was it regret, jealousy, or even love?  
  
"If you say so, but you know I'm here for ya?" His voice sounded pained or hurt. Nah, it was only me imagining it. He had Keiko to help him after all. Who did I have? No one.  
  
Hiei and Botan were together or I was reading them wrong. I don't know what the ferry girl saw in the fire youkai, but she must have seen something good in there. Kuwabara and Yukina were good friends by now. Perhaps, Kuwabara had the guts to ask her out on a date, even though he didn't know her twin brother was Hiei. Oh yeah, I could imagine what their wedding was going to be like, a disaster if Hiei had his way.  
  
I nodded my head in indication that I acknowledged his statement.  
  
Why did I feel horrible just then?  
  
Later that night  
  
In the middle of the night, I felt a spike in energy. It was Hiei's rather unusual way of summoning me, but couldn't he wait until morning instead of this hour? Groaning, I uncurled myself from my tight ball and yawned.  
  
Yusuke didn't budge. Good thing he was a heavy sleeper. It certainly was detrimental to us during the dark tournament. You'd think with all the explosions he would have woken up or something. It was someone's bad mouthing that woke him. Go figure.  
  
Crawling out of bed, I made my way to the door noiselessly like it mattered with Yusuke. I slipped out of the room, wincing when the door creaked upon opening. The wooden floor felt cold against my bare feet or paws. I certainly hoped Hiei wasn't planning on meeting me outside.  
  
My tail swished through the cool night air. The chirps of crickets sounded around the temple, giving it a calm atmosphere. It was summer so it was to be expected. We were out in the middle of nowhere. I guessed that had to play a factor. The leaves rustled in the breeze. I paused to listen. There was an odd sound interrupting the gentle melody.  
  
As I rounded the corner of the hallway, I soon found myself face to face with a certain fire youkai. He must have entered through the window for it was open and the curtains fluttered in the breeze.  
  
"What brings you here and why have you summoned me at this hour?" I inquired with a hint of annoyance. You would too if you had been woken up like this, but then again, Hiei wasn't one for jokes or playing.  
  
Crimson eyes inspected my current form. "I'm not even going to ask why, fox." He had an amused smirk on his face. "Straight and to the point. And they wonder why I picked you as a partner." Hiei jumped from the window sill he was perched on.  
  
"Hiei, get to the point already. I would like to sleep."  
  
At this the fire youkai chuckled, "Yeah, we wouldn't want you to lose your beauty sleep." His face became serious as he appeared to be thoughtful. "I suppose you haven't heard any rumors floating around lately?"  
  
I shook my head. Lately, I've been trying to keep out of trouble and stayed away from those breeding grounds of it. My human mother would become suspicious of my activities if I chose to do so. "I'm reformed."  
  
"It has nothing to do with it," Hiei shrugged off my statement. His red eyes bore down on me. "Before I made contact with Botan, I've been hanging around the makai. There have been rumors circulating about a certain pair of bounty hunters coming out of retirement."  
  
Normally, Hiei wasn't one to be worried about a couple of bounty hunters unless they were really good. I meant the type of people that could possible catch either of us back in the days. "I doubt you would be concerned over this unless you had a reason."  
  
Again, Hiei chuckled. "Damn right. It's the twins. You already know that no one has ever seen either of them and lived to tell about it."  
  
I frowned at this. It wasn't good, but you never know when it came to bounty hunters. The last I heard they were in 'retirement' as they seemed to drop off the makai. I certainly hoped they were only rumors and not actual facts.  
  
"Are you sure about it? There have been false witnesses."  
  
Hiei shrugged. "I'm not one to say, but I don't take these things lightly. Also I have read her mind and she was telling the truth or at least what she knew to be the truth. Don't give me that look. As I said, I take this very seriously."  
  
"I know, I know," I said in my defense. "Still, I wish I knew what they were up to. It will certainly give us time to prepare and we still don't know who's after my mother or me."  
  
"You're going to love this piece of information," Hiei said sarcastically while leaning against the wall. "While I was out looking for information, I discovered quite a few youkai crime lords have an interest in you. In fact, they are searching for you as we speak. One of them knows your human identity and has hired your human father to bring you to him."  
  
"I wonder why they would be interested in me," I spoke thoughtfully. Glancing out the window, I noticed a few nocturnal animals stir. They shouldn't be giving us any problem. "I know it can't be for stealing, because there are better thieves out there with me out of the picture."  
  
"To be honest, I don't know and none of the minions seem to know the answer either," Hiei replied in his blunt way. "They could have easily grabbed you during one of our missions or the dark tournament, but it will raise too much suspicion as to why you suddenly disappeared."  
  
"True," I said agreeing with him. They had several chances to kidnap me and I wasn't referring to when I was working. "What about that spike in energy? Were you able to find something?"  
  
"My informant was useless," Hiei scowled while running his hand through his hair. "So far, all we know is that two of them are youkai."  
  
"I'm guessing they didn't see either of them," I said thoughtfully, which was confirmed by Hiei's nod. "This brings us back to square one again, but at least we know someone is out after me, though for an unknown reason."  
  
"Tch, only you can say that," Hiei said in his deadpan voice. He pushed off the wall and began stalking to the window.  
  
"Where are you going?" I inquired.  
  
"I'm going on patrol," Hiei replied nevertheless. "The three of you are slacking off. Someone has to keep an eye on you and my sister."  
  
"Very well," I sighed out loud before heading my on my way. My bed was calling and I must answer. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a bed.  
  
---Hiei's POV---  
  
My meeting with Kurama went rather well. I was surprised to find him in his youkai form though I don't blame him. Around here, there were several places for an ambush, not to mention we were out in the middle of nowhere. Shiori was only human and can't defend herself as well as the rest of us. Okay, so the ape was also human, but at least he stood a chance against them. I wasn't sure if he could take on some youkai in high places.  
  
While the fox slept, I went on my usual patrol around Genkai's land. I wasn't about to allow my sister to be captured by those greedy youkai crime lords. As an ice apparition, her tear gems were priceless. If they knew she was here, they may capture her as well. For some reason, they wanted Youko and were willing to invest large amounts of money. Knowing them, the benefits must outweigh the risks and costs.  
  
"What do you want?" As if she could sneak up on me. I made it my business to know my surroundings.  
  
The ferry girl floated towards my position. "So that's where you went. I wondered what happened to you since I saw you last."  
  
I just glared at her. What did she want other than to bug me? Would she get to the point? For some reason I wished she wasn't this bubbly and more precise.  
  
"In any case, I tried contacting the others, but I couldn't find them," Botan went on, not caring if she was annoying. "Kurama wasn't home and his mother can't be found either. Yusuke wasn't with Keiko or at his usual haunts. As for Kuwabara, I wouldn't know where to start searching for him, except for school, but it's summer vacation."  
  
Could she be any more annoying? "They're not at those places, because they're here at Genkai's. We all have our own reasons for being here." It was apparently obvious. Why didn't that baby tell her in the first place?  
  
Botan hit her forehead with the flat of her palm. "No wonder. And here I was running in circles looking for you guys. Anyways, Koenma wanted me to ask you four to check out this one site."  
  
"And would that be where he felt the energy spike?" I inquired with a raised brow.  
  
Her mouth almost hit her oar or at least I thought so. Her eyes were wide as well. "Were you reading my mind?" In less than a minute, she was becoming quite angry again.  
  
I resisted the urge to smack some sense into the bubbly ferry girl. Honestly, was she that dense? Okay, she may not be as dense as Kuwabara, but I believed she was close enough. Besides, I doubt I can find my way out of her mind.  
  
"Do you think I wouldn't feel that energy spike?" I countered her question. "I'm not the Kuwabara."  
  
Botan laughed nervously at that. "Of course you're not." Oh great, she had gone back into her giggly mood. "I must get you four to the place."  
  
"Have you tried waking up Yusuke?" I inquired while moving away from her. Hey, I had to finish my patrol around here. You never know when someone will attack.  
  
Of course, she trailed behind me. "A few times and it's not the easiest task." Her index finger was pointing towards the sky in some sort of gesture. "I've even tried pouring ice cold water on him, but he just wipes it off and rolls over."  
  
"Well, Yusuke's asleep," I explained it to her, hoping she would understand. "You do not want to deal with Kurama right now. He only wants to sleep. Kuwabara isn't going to be much help in his condition. He will be too tired to even fight."  
  
"That's not good," Botan stated the obvious. "Aren't you going to go?"  
  
"Hn, I have already checked the area," I answered her and then leapt into the nearest tree. It wasn't that I hated her, but she was slowing me down.  
  
Within minutes later, I finished my rounds and leapt out of the tree. I was going to head inside and take a nap when someone descended near me. It had to be only a certain ferry girl. She had such good timing. Whirling around, I faced her.  
  
"What?"  
  
Both of her index fingers were pressed against each other at the tips. She had that cat face on her, meaning there was something she wanted that I may not agree. "Um, Koenma insists I have one of you check it out. Please, would you go?"  
  
"If it will make you go away fine," I growled lightly and walked to where I had felt the energy spike. Since there were no trails through the woods around Genkai's place, I had to make my own. The green grass bent underneath my feet. Unfortunately for me, she still was following me.  
  
"What is it this time?"  
  
"Um, he also wanted me to report what you find," Botan said edgily as if I would attack her at any second.  
  
No, I wasn't the type of person to beat up on those weaker than me unless they really deserved it like making my sister cry. "Stay out of my way then. I don't want to keep rescuing you and I doubt he'd believe me if you were killed."  
  
"How thoughtful of you," Botan said, reading between the lines.  
  
No, I don't care about her... Okay, so I was at least concerned for her health, but nothing more. Don't even go there.  
  
As we headed towards the location, I noticed her fidgeting around as if she wanted to talk or something. Either that or there was something out there I didn't notice, but I doubt it was the case. I was extremely alert when it came to my safety and the safety of my sister.  
  
Glancing around, I noticed we were seemingly alone within this forest unless you count the various nocturnal creatures. Nearby a few owls hooted from the perches of their trees. They must be on the lookout for rodents to scurry out from their hiding places. Tch, it was going to be awhile before they received their meal.  
  
A small group of fireflies glowed, lighting the night sky. Since the weather was warm enough, they can be often found flying around in more than a dozen. Ningen children sometimes captured these insects in small jars, but they later let them go or I thought they do. Bah, it wasn't any of my concern.  
  
Other than the small wind created by my flying companion, there were the gentle breezes. They stirred the leaves and kept the nocturnal creatures cooled down in this heat wave. I guessed that was what spooked Botan. She must be thinking there was someone following us with all the rustling leaves around us.  
  
"Would you quit fidgeting?" I inquired with an annoyance.  
  
Botan gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that. I thought someone was following us. We're close to the place, and they might be still out there."  
  
If I were someone other than me, I would have fallen over with a massive sweat drop or major vein, but I was me and I do not do that. "What makes you think they would stay here and why are you still following me if you think they're going to attack us?"  
  
"I was ordered to report back the results," Botan answered. She then moved her oar closer to me as if I was going to protect her from whatever lurked out there.  
  
Okay, I would protect her if we were under attack. Don't even think about it. As a matter fact, don't even say a thing.  
  
---Kurama's POV---  
  
The next morning I found Yusuke snoring away as if he didn't have a care in the world. Well at least he wasn't loud as a certain tall red head. Don't look at me. I do not snore. If you must know, I was referring to Kuwabara. Lazily stretching out, I kept my gaze on my companion's sleeping form.  
  
What made him special?  
  
I will never know. Perhaps it was time I switched to my human form though it was rather weak compared to my true form.  
  
As I was about to transform, someone opened the door. She raised a brow at my appearance and looked over it once. "Breakfast will be served in fifteen minutes. If the dimwit isn't awake, he's not eating."  
  
You have to love her sense of humor. "I'll make sure Yusuke will be awake even if it means going down that road."  
  
"Try to keep the noise down then," Genkai stated sarcastically as she walked away. Okay, now what did she mean by that? I would have asked her if she was still there.  
  
Now how was I supposed to wake him up? He slept through four battles before he actually woke up. I believed it was four or was it three? I can't be bothered by every single detail.  
  
Yusuke rolled onto his stomach, causing his blanket to fall off and expose his back. As much as this idea was childish, I crept to the sleeping boy and gave a yank at his waist band. He gave a wild yelp and nearly bolted out of the window.  
  
"What was that for?" Brown eyes glared at me.  
  
"Would you rather miss breakfast?" I smirked at his grumblings.  
  
Picking himself up, he went through his belongings for his day clothes. "Whatever. Tell grandma I'll be down in ten minutes." He then walked to the bathroom.  
  
For a moment, I forgot about last night. Then it came crashing down on me. I don't know what I felt, but I knew I felt something for Yusuke. It was this fuzzy sensation. It felt strange; yet good at the same time.  
  
The only problem was I didn't know how Yusuke felt about me. From our conversation last night, he obviously had some sort of feelings for her. The question was how far did those feelings go? Did he want to have a serious relationship with her?  
  
This was no time for me to be pining over Yusuke, if you could call it that. My ningen mother was in danger, and it was all my fault. If I didn't pick her, she would have a normal life; however, by now she may be dead due to her illness.  
  
Pushing out those feelings, I stood back up and headed out the door, minutes after Yusuke. The others were either half asleep or busy getting ready for today. Genkai must have made her rounds as I can smell her scent recently made. If Genkai was waking up us, then that meant Yukina was cooking breakfast or at least close to being finished.  
  
Speaking of which, Kuwabara came lumbering over in my direction. He didn't seem to notice my youkai form. Brushing past me, he yawned out loud, causing me to flinch due to the stench of his morning breath. I immediately pinched my nose and frowned in his direction.  
  
"Haven't you heard of a breath mint? It wouldn't kill you; maybe me if you don't do anything about it."  
  
The red head turned around quickly. "What's it to you?" His eyes narrowed before widening very large.  
  
"Would you shut your mouth? Some of us want to live." Seriously his breath can be considered a lethal weapon.  
  
His mouth shut with a snap. "How is it possible? I thought you had to drink that weird stuff."  
  
I shrugged and flicked my tail. "I found a way to transform to my true form. Besides, whoever said I had to tell you?" Now that his mouth was not emitting a very foul odor, I released my hold on my nose.  
  
"A warning would have been nice."  
  
Out of our group, Hiei and Koenma were the first to know. Hiei discovered this fact on his own. I informed Koenma as I didn't want to be tossed into the youkai prison when it could easily be avoided. Nevertheless, I doubt he would do that after the many missions I helped his detective accomplish and survive.  
  
"I already informed Koenma. Didn't he tell you?" Good thing, I was far away from Kuwabara and his retched stench.  
  
Kuwabara shook his head. "I think I was sick that day. I dunno." He laughed nervously and scratched his head. "Where's Yukina?""  
  
"I think she's in the kitchen, but I suggest staying out of there until she's finished," I chuckled at his confusion. Unlike ningen, I don't require as much nourishment to sustain my existence; nevertheless my ningen body did require it. "You want breakfast?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Kuwabara admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Then I would wait," I casually remarked as I scooted out of the hallway and away from his breath. "Oh and find a breath mint soon before you kill the rest of us."  
  
"Hey!" came Kuwabara's indignant voice.  
  
I chuckled at his response. It was so easy to get him riled up, but then he didn't understand much. I thought he was more on the slow side. Thank the gods, Yusuke wasn't as slow as Kuwabara. I spent the minutes wandering around Genkai's temple until someone entered the room.  
  
"Morning Hiei," I greeted the fire youkai without turning to look at him. I had been around him long enough to know his scent. Then there was a female one with him. It could only be Botan as she had the scent of death. "Botan."  
  
"Good morning," the ferry girl chirped.  
  
"There's nothing good about this morning," Hiei scowled. He then gave me a serious look. "There's something you should know. Have Yusuke and ... Kuwabara," he forced that word, "meet us."  
  
I frowned at this. "Why don't you tell them?"  
  
"We heard," a now damp Yusuke came through the door with his hair plastered on his head. "So you want to tell us something or what?"  
  
"You can say that," Hiei sarcastically remarked. "It will be when we're alone."  
  
"So is it important?" Kuwabara inquired, still with that hideous breath of his.  
  
All three of us covered our noses. If you don't know, it was Hiei, Yusuke, and me. For Yusuke, it was obvious as he was the closes to the source of the stench.  
  
"Did I not suggest a breath mint?" I scowled this time.  
  
"Yeah," Yusuke agreed with me, glaring at the offender.  
  
"I don't have one," Kuwabara huffed indignantly. He was about to protest when someone threw him a pack of breath mints.  
  
"Thanks Botan," I thanked her. How did she know we would need one?  
  
"No problem," Botan chirped while Kuwabara ate a few of them. "It's the least I could do."  
  
Before anyone could say anything, my ningen mother poked her head through the door. "Breakfast is ready." 


End file.
